WEBVTT 00:00:00.429 --> 00:00:03.620 There is a box, in the corner of my sewing room. 00:00:03.620 --> 00:00:07.419 It is a box whose contents have not seen the light of day for many a month. 00:00:07.419 --> 00:00:11.930 Many crafters will be familiar with this box, in all of its forms: There’s the ever-growing 00:00:11.930 --> 00:00:14.590 amorphous lump that lies underneath your desk… 00:00:14.590 --> 00:00:16.760 The monster underneath your bed… 00:00:16.760 --> 00:00:20.039 The stuff you vacuum-packed in a fit of organization and stuffed into your garage in the hopes 00:00:20.039 --> 00:00:22.130 that you’d never have to deal with it again… 00:00:22.130 --> 00:00:25.190 This, my friends, is the UNFINISHED SEWING PILE. 00:00:34.600 --> 00:00:39.860 So the item that I grabbed out of the top of the style pile box today was this robot-print 00:00:39.870 --> 00:00:40.870 dress. 00:00:40.870 --> 00:00:45.970 I thrifted the dress a couple of weeks ago for 50 cents, because I LOVED the fabric, 00:00:45.970 --> 00:00:48.489 but it had this massive rip on the sleeve. 00:00:48.489 --> 00:00:52.070 I thought about simply removing the sleeves and keeping it as a sleeveless dress, but 00:00:52.070 --> 00:00:56.790 after trying it on, I realised that it was too tight across the bust, and it "pancaked" 00:00:56.790 --> 00:01:00.129 my boobs - so I decided that I would turn it into a skirt. 00:01:00.129 --> 00:01:03.950 So first up, I laid the dress flat on the floor, and I made sure that the front and 00:01:03.950 --> 00:01:05.159 back were even. 00:01:05.159 --> 00:01:09.490 I put some pins into the fabric to hold the front, back and the lining fabrics in place, 00:01:09.490 --> 00:01:13.150 and then I drew a chalk line straight across the fabric just underneath the arms. 00:01:15.360 --> 00:01:18.520 And then I cut through the front, back and the lining fabrics with a pair of fabric scissors, 00:01:20.900 --> 00:01:24.620 leaving me with this – and it’s already looking like a skirt, right? 00:01:24.620 --> 00:01:28.880 I turned it inside out, and because it has lining fabric which I want to keep, the first 00:01:28.880 --> 00:01:33.020 bit of sewing that I did was to attach the lining and the skirt fabrics together at the 00:01:33.020 --> 00:01:34.020 top here. 00:01:34.020 --> 00:01:35.970 This will keep the lining in place. 00:01:35.970 --> 00:01:38.479 And for this I used a long straight stitch. 00:01:38.479 --> 00:01:43.340 Next, I got myself some elastic and I measured it to fit my waist, at the part of my waist 00:01:43.340 --> 00:01:45.020 where I want the skirt to sit. 00:01:45.020 --> 00:01:48.799 I made sure the elastic was slightly snug around my waist, and then I cut it to this 00:01:48.799 --> 00:01:49.799 length. 00:01:49.799 --> 00:01:52.290 Now it’s time to make some casing for that elastic! 00:01:52.290 --> 00:01:56.040 I lined the elastic up next to the skirt, because I’ll need this casing to be just 00:01:56.040 --> 00:01:58.079 a little bit wider than the elastic. 00:01:58.079 --> 00:02:03.189 And then, with it still inside-out, I simply folded the top of the skirt down like this, 00:02:03.189 --> 00:02:07.840 making sure both the robot fabric and lining were folded in the same way. 00:02:07.840 --> 00:02:11.469 When I was happy with how it was folded all the way around the top of the skirt, I pinned 00:02:11.469 --> 00:02:15.709 it in place, and then I sewed using a straight stitch all the way around the top of the skirt, 00:02:15.709 --> 00:02:18.329 front and back, leaving a SMALL GAP here. 00:02:19.540 --> 00:02:23.320 And I used black thread because this stitch will be visible on the right side of the fabric. 00:02:24.870 --> 00:02:30.260 So after sewing around about 95% of the casing, I stopped because I wanted to leave this small 00:02:30.260 --> 00:02:32.510 gap in which I could insert some elastic. 00:02:32.510 --> 00:02:37.389 To insert the elastic into the skirt, first I put a safety pin through one end of the 00:02:37.389 --> 00:02:40.559 elastic, which will help me to guide it through the casing. 00:02:40.559 --> 00:02:44.010 And then I guided the elastic through the casing, all the way around, until it came 00:02:44.010 --> 00:02:45.350 back out the other side. 00:02:52.960 --> 00:02:57.060 Then, I sewed the two ends of the elastic together like this, using a zig zag stitch, 00:03:01.880 --> 00:03:04.580 and then I sewed over that small gap in the casing. 00:03:06.400 --> 00:03:09.360 Then I tried on the skirt, and I could have finished here – but I decided that it would 00:03:09.370 --> 00:03:13.340 look a little bit better if I could wear it with a belt – so the last thing that I’m 00:03:13.340 --> 00:03:14.949 going to do is to make BELT LOOPS. 00:03:14.949 --> 00:03:18.849 Which would have been a lot easier to do before installing the elastic. 00:03:18.849 --> 00:03:24.180 But, hey – I never sew things in a logical order, and I’m not going to start today. 00:03:24.180 --> 00:03:27.690 I thought about using the rest of the robot fabric for belt loops, but then I remembered 00:03:27.690 --> 00:03:32.069 how flimsy the fabric is – that rip didn’t happen because the fabrics were strong – so 00:03:32.069 --> 00:03:35.379 instead I grabbed myself some thicker black linen. 00:03:35.379 --> 00:03:39.079 I drew equal-sized 4 rectangles onto the fabric, and then I cut these out. 00:03:42.240 --> 00:03:46.140 For each belt loop, I folded the edges of the fabric into the middle like this, and 00:03:46.150 --> 00:03:49.510 then folded this in half, and then I sewed down this edge. 00:03:53.300 --> 00:03:57.540 Then, I folded the raw ends in like this, and sewed over the top of them like this. 00:03:57.549 --> 00:04:01.620 Then, I attached each belt loop to the skirt equally around the waistband, by sewing the 00:04:01.620 --> 00:04:05.969 bottom of it on just underneath the casing like this, and for the top of the belt loop 00:04:05.969 --> 00:04:09.409 I hand-stitched on to the top of the casing like this. 00:04:09.409 --> 00:04:14.290 If I hadn’t added the elastic first, I could have sewn it with my machine – but I didn’t 00:04:14.290 --> 00:04:15.290 do that. 00:04:15.290 --> 00:04:17.509 Anyway, illogical sewing aside, this is how it turned out! 00:04:17.509 --> 00:04:19.389 I really, really, really like it! 00:04:19.389 --> 00:04:23.900 Now, you can basically do this for any rectangular-bit of fabric, that is larger than your waist 00:04:23.900 --> 00:04:27.280 and that you can fit over your hips, and that you’ve sewn into a loop. 00:04:27.280 --> 00:04:31.730 This is a really good method of making a dress - without a fitted waist - that you loved 00:04:31.730 --> 00:04:35.039 but maybe that you've outgrown into something that you can wear again! 00:04:35.039 --> 00:04:38.229 And I was definitely right about adding the belt loops – I think that the skirt looks 00:04:38.229 --> 00:04:39.780 SO much better with them. 00:04:39.780 --> 00:04:44.199 I’m so happy that I was able to give this broken dress another life as a skirt. 00:04:44.199 --> 00:04:48.139 Thank you all so much for watching, and if you haven’t already – check out my Patreon 00:04:48.139 --> 00:04:49.139 page! 00:04:49.139 --> 00:04:52.330 It’s really only through Patreon that I have a stable source of income, which allows 00:04:52.330 --> 00:04:53.879 me to keep making these videos. 00:04:53.879 --> 00:04:57.729 Doing youtube and being my own boss is basically the best kind of job for somebody living with 00:04:57.729 --> 00:05:02.020 a disability, like me, because it means that I can work whenever I’m feeling okay and 00:05:02.020 --> 00:05:06.330 take breaks when I need them - plus I love making these videos - but I gotta be able 00:05:06.330 --> 00:05:08.139 to eat and pay the rent, too. 00:05:08.139 --> 00:05:11.080 Any amount, even $1 per month, will really help me out. 00:05:11.080 --> 00:05:14.810 If not, at least turn off your ad-blocker and don’t skip ads before my videos ;) And 00:05:14.810 --> 00:05:15.830 tell your friends about me! 00:05:15.830 --> 00:05:20.010 Thank you all for watching, supporting me, and I'll see you all next time – bye!